OnCo
institutionsInstitution

Scottish Medicines Consortium

aka SMC

Scotland's health technology assessment body, which advises NHS Scotland on new medicines and applies a more flexible approach for end-of-life and orphan cancer drugs.

Established in 2001, the Scottish Medicines Consortium advises NHS Scotland on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of all newly licensed medicines, working separately from NICE. Its Patient and Clinician Engagement process, introduced in 2014, gives additional weight to patient and clinician evidence for end-of-life and very rare conditions, and its ultra-orphan pathway allows access while evidence is collected, so some cancer drugs are available in Scotland before or without a NICE recommendation. The SMC is part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland and works with the MHRA and NICE on the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway.

Location
Glasgow, GB
Type
government
Newsweek 2026 oncology rank
Not in top 300 listing used
OnCo score
#408 · 14 points (0 Newsweek + 0 NCI + 14 from 7 linked objects) · ranking

Programmes

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  • Health technology assessment for NHS Scotland
  • Patient and Clinician Engagement (PACE) process
  • Ultra-orphan pathway
  • Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway partner

Connected

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